Franklin Graham: Pray for Peace in Ukraine

In July of 2007 in the city of Kiev, the Franklin Graham Festival became the largest evangelical event in Ukraine history. Here Franklin Graham preaches with Viktor Hamm interpreting.

Dear Friend,

You’ve seen the headlines about the mass protests in Ukraine, the political upheaval that followed, and the turmoil still playing out. In the midst of it all, something has been occurring outside the headlines that you may not have heard about.

Evangelical churches represent just a small minority of Ukraine’s population, but they have stepped out courageously during this period of national uncertainty, ministering to people affected by the unrest and openly sharing the hope found only in Jesus Christ. Churches have set up prayer tents and crisis counseling centers in busy public places, sent Christians into the streets day and night to talk and pray with anxious people, and distributed as many as 5,000 New Testaments a day. Across the nation they’re finding hearts hungry for God’s Word, and they are running out of Ukrainian New Testaments and Bibles to give away. They have asked us to help them get more copies, and we want to do that quickly. You can give to help meet this need and get God’s Word into more hands.

We have been active alongside Ukraine’s churches for years. Although atheism made broad gains during the decades that the country was dominated by communism, people of faith endured. Then in 1988, the year before the Iron Curtain began to collapse, churches in the capital city of Kiev boldly invited my father to come and preach the Gospel. Enthusiastic crowds overflowed at each place he spoke.

Since then, we have partnered with Ukrainian Christians to hold nationwide conferences on evangelism, and the churches are now sending missionaries to other nations. In 2007 many of you prayed for me when I was invited to lead a Crusade in the Olympic stadium in Kiev. The meetings were transmitted live to 114 other sites across the country—tens of thousands heard the Gospel. Our longtime Associate Evangelist Viktor Hamm, who was born in Russia and serves today as BGEA’s vice president for Crusade ministry, has also led 16 large Crusade events in the country.

Pray for Ukraine: When the protests were at their height a few weeks ago and the political crisis dramatically escalated, the nation’s president fled the country, and Parliament turned to its speaker, an evangelical believer, to lead the country. Observers say Oleksandr Turchynov was chosen as interim president because, in a nation plagued by corruption and self-serving politicians, he stood out as a man of conviction and principle with a reputation for integrity. He is a man of godly character and a committed follower of Jesus Christ.

Recently I asked Viktor Hamm to fly to Kiev to meet with and encourage the evangelical believers. While he was there, he also met privately with the interim president, prayed with him, and assured him that many others were praying. President Turchynov specifically requested that we pray for peace in his country. He has a daunting task, and he needs God’s wisdom. During the time since he stepped into the nation’s top leadership role, Russia sent troops into the Ukrainian province of Crimea and then annexed it. As I write, no one knows what is next for this country.

Before this crisis erupted, we had received invitations to preach the Gospel in several Ukrainian cities, so pray for us now as we seek God’s guidance on how best to support the churches and evangelism in Ukraine in coming months and years. We have accepted invitations for me to come in June and preach at Crusades in Tbilisi, Georgia, and Warsaw, Poland, both located in the same part of the world as Ukraine. Pray for hearts to be open to receive the Gospel message.

Pray also for America: As we come to Good Friday and Easter, we know there are millions of people in our country who acknowledge Easter Sunday as a day of celebration, and who may briefly turn their attention to stories about Jesus, but who do not personally “know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Philippians 3:10, NKJV).

The My Hope America program, The Cross, is being re-aired this Easter week on Christian networks including TBN and others. What a perfect opportunity to have unsaved family and friends watch it with you. You can then ask at the conclusion if they would like to know Jesus Christ personally by receiving Him as their Savior. I believe The Cross is one of the most powerful programs my father has ever done. It had a dramatic impact this last November, when millions watched it and over 100,000 people shared with us that they made decisions for Christ.

You can find the program on cable TV networks between April 14 and May 4, watch it on YouTube or Netflix anytime, or download it from MyHopeWithBillyGraham.org. In addition, many churches will show the program on video during the Easter season. Pray that people who need the Savior will be drawn to watch and that God will touch hearts across this nation, drawing people to Himself.

Early in April, I will preach the Gospel in Texas at the Greater El Paso Festival of Hope. El Paso is one of the 25 largest cities in America and is located on the border with Mexico. I will speak with a Spanish interpreter—this is a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel with people from more than one culture and language who need a personal relationship with Jesus.

Pray for our country. Pray for our president and those in Congress. It seems that many in Washington have forgotten God. His call is the same to the people of any nation: “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19–20, ESV).

Thank you for your prayers, and thank you for your support. We could not do the work we do if it were not for your partnership.

May God bless you,

Franklin Graham

President

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